Member Poem

Books have been my preferred travel method for longer than I can remember.

Grasping one in my hand is like taking a knife and slicing every tether connecting me to reality.

I'm like an escape artist when it comes to stories.

Give me a copy of the latest fantasy and, suddenly, I become Houdini.

So many journies to be had!

So many places to be!

There are dragons to slay,

And curses to flee,

And oceans to tread,

And mermaids to see,

And spells to be cast,

And memories to be made.

How I loved, as a child, to simply sit in the shade

And escape all that life rained on me.

So why would anyone take that away from me?

For years I was told I had to float back down

Keep my feet on the ground

And face the world like everyone should.

But why should I make real friends when my book friends were the only ones that understood?

They tried to rob me.

Magic was evil and foolishness, they'd say.

Little did they know it was my only chance to get away.

But as I grew older and more wise.

I began to realize

Books aren't an escape from reality

Not necessarily.

They cement you deeper into it

More than the news ever could.

Make you ask questions like

"Are we doomed to live in Orwell's world for good?"

If not, then why are books burnings still taking place?

The tools they're destroying are meant to advance the human race.

I find it absurd that books are banned in schools because of the N-word,

Yet I find it in almost every song I've ever heard.

My point is, don't do this.

Free speech is what this country is made of.

If we all deserve that right, then what are you so afraid of?

Don't deprive children of that beautiful link to a world where they are free to dream and to think.

Oh the places they'll go if you just let them be.

When I see books being destroyed, I think of little me

And how I cried when a book was pried from my hands

Due to content deemed unsuitable

Such as magic or romance.

And I remember how I'd become as quiet as a mouse

And search throughout the house

Until I regained my passport to embark on my flight.

My troubles melted away as I sailed throughout the night.

I could be whatever I wanted to be,

But, most importantly, books taught me to be me.

So parents, teachers, grown-ups

This is all I ask of you

Do not be afraid of  what your child can do

Allow us to dream, to blossom, to conquer all fear.

Here we are, the future, a generation of imagineers.